I will however share what thoughts I do have on the question asked.
I must add in here that I blog for fun, for record keeping and as a hobby. I do not blog to gain followers (although it is nice to know others actually do read) make a little extra cash or try to be something I am not.
I do strongly encourage new bloggers to keep it in perspectiveas the whole blogging experience can easily get out of hand.
Anyway, some ways that I have seen to increase blog followers are:
- Regular posting of at least 2-3 times a week
- Good photo's, well lit, easy to see. You don't need to be a photographer but decent photo's really do make a blog
- Short & precise posts, unless of course your writing is truly captivating (anyone recommend a good course? I'd like to improve my skills in this area)
- Sharing tutorials, how to's and free printable items
- Follow other blogs yourself
- Comment regularly on other blogs, that way you are being seen by many around the blogosphere
- Join linky's/meme's that interest you (you don't always have to commit to every single week)
- Giveaway's - although really you probably need to have a few followers to begin with for this to work effectively.
I can gain alot of visitors - but still do not have very many followers (less than 20 in rss and 45 in facebook network blogs) - I think it really comes down to content - and what people identify with. I realize that there are few middle school homeschool moms. The ones that are doing alot of nature study are my audience, to share our experiences. I do enjoy doing the memes - and I am working on ways to have the blog still reflect our day - and not just be a "meme" entry. I have the board games out to play tomorrow on the table - so I can capture an experience, not write a report. :)
ReplyDeleteI obviously need to work on cutting down on the words. . . . . Thanks for the tips! Keep em comin! I have found that commenting on blogs I visit seems to create alot of visitors.
Another tip, is be interactive. If someone leaves a comment and they have an email address listed then send them a thank you note. Make sure you go to their site and comment as well. Something that I am trying to improve on, is responding to posts in my own comment form, you will be surprised how many times readers come back to read other people's comments, plus it makes your blog seem more interactive, then just come and read and comment.
ReplyDeleteGet out and visit new sites, I find new ones by going through comments left on the blogs I follow or in thier freinds lists, make sure and leave a comment, tell them how you found them, if you follow them, let them know this fact.
By the way great post!
Pebblekeeper I agree on being able to identify with the blogger, that really makes a huge difference. Maybe if you are wanting to find other bloggers 'more like you and your situation' you could go look for them. There must be other middle school related blogs out there.
ReplyDeleteI like how you look at meme's too, that does make all the difference to an enjoyable read.
Debbie, I think the interactiveness is the real key. Post, comment and respond to comments. If readers know you always respond then they will come back to read the responses.
I too have found many great blogs from clicking on readers profiles in a comment.
Thanks for sharing ladies. :)
I don't get to comment often but just wanted to thank you for the wonderful printables you share with everyone!
ReplyDeleteThese are all really great tips...I also got several new followers thanks to your "shout out". I really appreciate your recognition! Thanks again :)
ReplyDeleteKylie, I think you've compiled a very good list and I completely agree with each bit of advice.
ReplyDeleteI think the blogger needs to determine why they want followers. I've seen blog carnivals such as "Follow Me Friday" and the like and if the interest is in just getting a large number of followers, than this is the way to go. Personally, I appreciate every follower I have because I know they are following because they have a genuine desire to do so.
Also, I agree with Jennifer about blogger support (link backs). I've been trying to share the love by creating a Round Up post once every month or so about all the creative and inspiring ideas I've found on my Google Reader lately.
Thanks for sharing this topic, Kylie! Very helpful for a blogger at any stage. :)
Warmly,
Mari-Ann
Great post!
ReplyDeleteI just wanted to add something that we were talking about in our Blog Frog community, Mom Loop. We were saying that if you are going to leave a comment and want that person to visit your blog in return thtat it's a good idea to leave a comment with a link to one of your posts that goes with their post or ask a question or leave your link. I know I'm usually checking and responding to comments from my phone so if there is something like that, I will save it and go check it out later. =)
A word of advice... Speaking from experience... Pictures should be taken by yourself, or designed especially for your blog. For if you find a picture on the net and post it in your blog to attract attention, you can get sued.
ReplyDeleteThat's why I don't post pictures unless I take it myself (with my own camera) or have written permission to use it.
You have given great advice to new bloggers.
ReplyDeleteIt goes to be said that this blog is a TERRIFIC example of good blogging technique -
Short, concise, and well written articles - no bad spelling or poor sentence structure.
Great titles for the articles so the reader will know what the content of each article will actually be about.
Attractive blog template design which DOES matter.
I think I will blog about this too and just link back to you:)
Deborah
Kylie, I'm just visiting from the Picket Fence blog list. I really like what you had to say in your post. I think sometimes people are too anxious to get followers and that's their whole pursuit. They forget to enjoy visiting other blogs. One thing I've found that's a little disappointing is blog hops that promise people will follow you if you follow them and the blogger doesn't reciprocate. It's funny how people are so choosy about who their real life friends are, but in the blogosphere they don't care as long as it's another face on their page.
ReplyDeleteWow, great advice from both this post and the comments. I have tried such things as Follow me friday, but I am only looking for blogs that are of interest to me to follow and hoping those who are looking to follow me are also looking for someone of like interests. I never thought of the fact that people just want to have a huge number of followers. I like to see that people are following me, but I agree with Mari-Ann, it means something if they are there because they are interested in what I have to say.
ReplyDeleteYes I do find blogs to follow by following comments left on blogs, obviously those bloggers are interested in the same subject matter. I also try to link to relevant posts when I comment if I can.
Have to ask, how does one go about doing their own giveaway?
Thank you so much for this post- and to all those who commented! This is exactly the information I need to get my blog "out there" more!
ReplyDeleteThis article is just what I needed. I just started a blog and was wondering how do I get someone to read it now. I am not writing just for myself. I want to be part of a community. So this is my very first comment to a blog. I really like your blog and will be subscribing. I surfed onto your blog from RelevantDesigns via another homeschool blog.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all of the fabulous thoughts here ladies. :)
ReplyDeleteKewKew-
ReplyDeleteHosting your own giveaways is easy! You can see the giveaways I've done here:http://givinguponacleanhouse.blogspot.com/search/label/giveaway
As you can see, for most of them I solicited for products to review and giveaway. Though for my most recent one I purchased the items. Good Luck!
I think for my first giveaway I just hosted it myself with things I had here. Books I had doubled up on etc and used a small milestone on my blog.
ReplyDeleteBut I have been thinking about doing a bit of 'soliciting'. :-)
Great advices to follow! It'll definitely help me out by some or the other way!
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas - thanks for sharing! I'm a new blogger and appreciate the tips.
ReplyDeleteKylie ~
ReplyDeleteThank you so very much for guiding me towards this post. It does help me to make my decision!